Wednesday’s prescribed burn on Angel Island sparked concerns among some East Bay officials about the need to protect residents from smoke by better planning for when deliberate and controlled fires are allowed.
Smoke that wafted across the Bay left some residents “frustrated and upset,” Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia wrote in a social media statement on Thursday.
“The harmful air quality in SF and the East Bay resulting from Cal Fire and State Park’s controlled vegetation burn on Angel island today is unacceptable, and impacted daily routines and people’s health,” Gioia, who also serves as a member of the Bay Area Air District Board of Directors, said in the post.
Gioia said he has requested that Dr. Philip Fine, the Air District’s executive officer, review the agency’s policies for granting control burn permits. Gioia said he plans to raise the issue during the board’s next meeting Oct. 7.
The burn, conducted by California State Parks, Cal Fire and Marin County Fire in coordination with the Bay Area Air District, aimed to reduce wildfire risks and support the local ecosystem. The project calls for reducing fuel loads across 260 acres of the island’s grasslands and coastal scrub, according to California State Parks.
The Angel Island prescribed burn project began Sept. 8, but work scheduled for Sept. 9-10 was canceled due to unfavorable weather conditions, Air District spokesperson Kristina Chu said in a statement. No further burns are planned for the foreseeable future, according to an update published Thursday on the Angel Island State Park website.
Albany Councilmember Robin López also expressed frustration with what he described on social media as an “avoidable situation.”
“I’m disappointed,” López said. “The planning and lack of accountability needs to be called out.”
Air quality data was “well below federal and state public health standards,” California State Parks spokesperson Marty Greenstein said in a statement.
Air District experts use myriad factors to determine whether or not it is appropriate to conduct a prescribed burn: They include meteorological conditions and measurable airborne pollutants, among others.
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Smoke from uncontrolled wildfires is also known to be far more harmful to public health than that from well-planned prescribed burns, Greenstein added.
“Though air quality levels weren’t above established public health levels and smoke impacts were relatively short-lived, State Parks does not want to minimize the impact this may have on people, especially those most sensitive to smoke,” Greenstein said.
The Air District did grant permission to conduct the burn Wednesday after meteorologists conducted a review of weather patterns that morning and ultimately determined that wind patterns would not blow the smoke toward surrounding communities, Gioia said.
“They were wrong, and all of us were negatively impacted,” Gioia said. “While the Air District stopped the burn when smoke impacts occurred, it was too late. The damage had already been done.”
A Cal Fire spokesperson directed further questions to California State Parks.
The Air District’s team of meteorologists does its best to limit burns to days with conditions expected to reduce impacts to nearby communities, Chu said.
“However, weather conditions can change, and forecasts are not perfect,” Chu said.
When conditions do change, Chu said the Air District retains the authority to cancel or stop burns.
“The Air District recognizes the concerns raised by residents who experienced those impacts,” Chu said.
“The Air District will continue to work with Cal Fire, California State Parks and other partners to ensure prescribed burns are conducted in a manner that minimizes impacts to surrounding communities while supporting important wildfire prevention and forest health objectives.”
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